1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to rocking devices, specifically, to such rocking devices which are used to automatically rock a typical molded plastic type infant carrier seat.
2. Description of Prior Art
Infant carrier seats of the kind currently being produced are generally comprised of a one piece molded plastic body. One common feature of this body is a rounded base to facilitate a fore and aft rocking motion of the seat.
The intent of this rocking motion is to sooth and relax the infant residing within the carrier seat. Normally this rocking motion is imparted to the seat by someone manually rocking the seat by grasping typically the lower edge of the seat, the edge nearest the infants feet, and moving it gently up and down thereby rocking the seat on its rounded bottom.
A desireable alternative to this would be to have a device which would rock the carrier seat automatically.
A rocking device of this type has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,343 (1973) to Kinslow, Jr.. Although the device as described does rock a particular infant seat, it suffers from a number of disadvantages:
(a) The device is cumbersome. To implement the device may prove too time consuming for the user, thereby possibly limiting its own use.
(b) The device is comprised almost entirely of parts requiring custom fabrication. This makes the device costly to manufacture.
(c) The device requires that modifications be made to the infant seat before it can be used with the rocking device. These modifications include attaching a special framework, links and rods to the seat. However these modifications are not readily adaptable to present day infant seats thereby rendering this type of rocking device obsolete.